Tuesday's Lowcountry Giving Day raised nearly $2.5 million online that will be added to $1.5 million pool of incentivized funds from private donors made before the event. [P&C]

House Speaker Bobby Harrell yesterday took an opportunity to walk back a conspiracy theory he floated on WTMA Monday, edging around his earlier "I'll be blunt" preface, pointing to "a number of people from the Lowcountry" who have the same theory. [P&C]

NYT's Upshot looks at the Virgin Islands Republican Party, which has raised nearly $225,000 in the past few years, but only made two donations, one to U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. [NYT]

After nearly a half-century under the American flag, the Charleston-based Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin is now the Nigerian navy's NNS Okpabana.

The Washington Post followed U.S. Sen. Tim Scott as he volunteered at a local Goodwill recently, going, as the Post called it, "anecdote shopping." [WaPo]

An initial Senate budget proposal approved Wednesday would cut $16 million in local government aid for a proposed statewide 4K program. A House proposal did not have a similar arrangement, so the differences will need to be hashed out in committee. [AP]

A debate over proposed budget cuts for CofC and USC Upstate over gay-themed summer reading assignments — "This body has a hang-up on sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular," said state Sen. Brad Hutto — prompted allusions to slavery, Charles Manson and, of course, Adolf Hitler, courtesy of the honorable senator from T.R. [P&C]